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With the official announcement of polling dates, the ECI’s much-vaunted Model Code of Conduct is now in force. The code bars governments from announcing major policy decisions after announcement of elections.

The last date for submitting nominations is 25 March 2019.

900 million voters are eligible to cast their vote in this election, of which 15 million are first-time voters.

Arora said all political advertisements on social media will need pre-certification.

The term of the current Lok Sabha, which gave India its first single party majority government in three decades after an intense presidential style of campaign, is scheduled to end on June 3.

In 2014, the EC had announced the election schedule on March 5 and the nine-phase electoral exercise was spread across April and May. While the first phase polling was on April 7, the last phase was on May 12.